


building bonds

by pastelgay



Series: home is just another word for you [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-21 13:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16577414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelgay/pseuds/pastelgay
Summary: Law could no longer find where he began and his attachment to Luffy ended. He lacked realization about the tight hold Luffy and his entire wildly different crew had on him, and it simultaneously effortlessly and infuriatingly became impossible to cut ties with.





	building bonds

**Author's Note:**

> all i have to say for myself is that i didn't take a whole year to add to this series. that's generally how long it takes for me to update so at least there's that! hhhhh i'm still v sorry
> 
> also! i mistakenly tagged both of these fics in the series as lawlu when they haven't actually expanded their relationship to the point where that is said to b true! so i don't want to false advertise hah, this is a slower build-up so i won't tag them as a pairing to avoid confusion and they will be connected thru an '&' instead of a '/'.
> 
> this is a view mainly of law witnessing not just the bond between sabo nd luffy but luffy nd his whole crew! thank u for choosing to read this addition!

Law didn’t truly understand how close this whole crew was until Luffy decided that Law was one of Luffy’s own, if only for the time being. From announcing war against the government and its entirety to save a demon child to breaking into the most heavily guarded prison in the world to rescue his brother, it soon became easier to fathom the lengths this particular captain would go for those he loved.

What he didn’t expect was how _physical_ Luffy was with everyone, no exceptions.

He thought he was bursting in on something secret and intimate when he came to the crow’s nest and found Luffy reclined against his first mate’s chest. Zoro didn’t seem ruffled at all, if the way he was casually lifting massive weights behind him was any indication.

“Zoro~” Luffy whined, trying to concentrate on whatever picture he was attempting to scrawl on the paper in his lap. “You’re moving too much! Be a better pillow.”

Zoro grunted irritably. “I’m not your pillow. Go find someone else,” he snapped as Luffy shifted against him to get more comfortable. “Doesn’t that eye-bag doctor have a big bear thing? Go use that.”

Luffy shot up, carelessly knocking his skull under Zoro’s chin. Zoro cursed loudly and his weights fell to the ground like a sudden earthquake. “That’s a great idea, Zoro!” he shouted, astonished about his first mate’s discovery. “I’m gonna find that bear--ah! Torao!”

Zoro's hard stare slowly made its way to him, unamused by his sudden presence and still recovering from Luffy’s unintentional brutal headbutt. Luffy didn’t seem to bother with how or when Law got there, but Zoro was nigh instinctively wary about him.

He saw the tension in Law, the confused furrow in his brows at their closeness, and smirked. “Something got you uncomfortable, Law?” he asked with a sharp grin as Luffy squirmed in his lap, trying to stay with Zoro's warmth while debating how comfortable Bepo would be.

Awkwardly, Law cleared his throat. “I wasn’t aware… you two were…” Law trailed off stiffly, not entirely sure how to explain it aloud. It would’ve been easy enough, but every word seemed to vanish entirely from his mind.

Luffy looked confused, but pleased to see Law regardless. “Oh!” he said, seeming to grasp the situation. “We weren’t sleeping, Torao, don’t worry!”

Law didn’t know why he thought Luffy would somehow accurately pick up where he had trailed off. “That’s not what I--”

Zoro gave him a subtle smirk, stretching back to grab at his massive dumbbell while Luffy finally decided his first mate was too warm and comfortable to part with.

Zoro ignored Law completely after that, grumbling his complaints about not being their captain's personal heater, but his words held no bite. Luffy grinned and shifted sideways, shoulder pressed snugly against Zoro's broad chest with his legs resting over his thigh.

Law left behind his questions to be answered another time, smoothing out the odd bristles of jealousy prickling his skin.

 

Zoro surprisingly hadn’t been the nail in coffin; he would have been, eventually, had he not seen the closeness with Luffy and the rest of his crew, closeness that was not secluded to just his first mate. Law didn’t know why he thought the levels of intimacy and sincerity altered with every mate.

It soon became very clear that Luffy would sacrifice himself for every single one of his friends, and that none held a place higher than another. Law had witnessed the affectionate physical reactions of their captain likely as often as Luffy smiled.

And yet Luffy’s relationships within his crew remain a bout of mild, unresolved confusion for Law, but it hadn’t been completely dragged to the forefront of his mind right away. It had died down into something quieter at the back of it instead, still completely odd to Law who was mostly adverse to physical contact. The clingy-ness of their captain somehow was a continuous surprise, since Law had yet to become accustomed to the calloused warmth in Luffy's palms.

This selfish man didn’t much consider repercussions, of both the idiocy as well as sated comfort in his fists, from hands that could demolish cities to warm skin that pressed his most valued treasure to one’s head, as if pushing their severe importance to him into their every last thought.

Over time, though, he slowly gathered various pieces of interactions from the captain to each of his companions. And over time, the pieces slowly clicked together.

 

One night Law glanced, through an open door, a flash of orange hair, mountain of scrawled maps with nearly perfect imitations of land and sea and a young, incredibly talented cartographer.

“Every time you say you’re bored or tired,” Nami began irritably, emphasizing the _‘or’_ with a glimmer to her eyes, “you’re charged another 10,000 Berry. And another tax to that for every minute you’re asleep, since your attention span is about to give out.”

She was unfalteringly certain that Luffy losing conscious was imminent, and unsurprisingly it was. The descriptions she slowly attempted to explain (in a voice that said she had done this before) were too complicated and frustrating for him. His hands ended up thrown in the air in exasperation as his mind ran furious circles around her explanations, and it took only a few seconds before he was snoring comfortably in her lap.

His navigator tried to look annoyed, but there was such a gentleness to her touch as her fingers slowly glided through his hair, easing comfort into his sleep as she explained every bit of topography on the past islands they visited together. Conscious, Luffy’s attention would have combusted into smoke out of both of his ears almost instantly.

But now, to him, the ease of Nami’s smile and languid brushes of her hand were almost too much for Law to see without memories of someone he would have once called family bursting like fireworks against his eyelids.

He had to quietly stalk away as Nami’s hushed voice told her captain of all the places she could not wait to draw for him.

He thought of Cora’s touch just beyond the wooden barricade of a box he’d been forced into, to protect and keep him safe, and was repulsed by the warmth of someone else so much as grazing him.

 

Similar instances kept on happening, again and again and again.

The next encounter the Strawhats were all heavily inebriated, the least shocking thing he could imagine. Luffy happily danced with his cook, taking lead upon instinct and dipping Sanji every time the music raised so much as a notch in volume. Sanji looked flustered despite being accustomed to Luffy’s affectionate antics. Their chests were pressed tight together thanks to Luffy having absolutely zero sense of personal space, red-faced and grinning up at his cook.

Sanji wasn’t in the least interested in his fun and instead pleaded for both Nami and Robin to trade places with him, _please._ Instead of being so much as heeded, he was drowned out by the noncommittal but easy chatter between the two girls, sipping Sanji’s tasty drinks instead of helping him out of his predicament.

Fast-forward to the aftermath of an intense battle of bravery and willpower that found the sharpshooter curled opposite Luffy, eyes wide and awake despite the sun slowly dragging itself up into the sky as an announcement of the early morning. They talked, Usopp rhapsodizing about unrealistic adventures that could be seen as deceit miles away. But... Luffy listened with bright eyes and an awed smile, hanging on to his every single word as if the world would falter if a single breath went unheard.

Weeks later Law spotted Chopper seated in the captain’s lap as he went fishing, the reindeer’s bright blue nose buried in a medical book. He whined every time Luffy complained it would be so much easier and more fun to just go after the fish _himself,_ legs bouncing in excitement and jostling the poor kid around.

Luffy, Devil Fruit limitations be damned, eventually decided to idiotically jump in the waters himself as something that could possibly be considered a fish jumped above the surface. He was followed by just about the whole crew attempting to stop the idiots from both drowning when Chopper inadvertently came along for the ride.

And there was so, _so_ much more that he couldn’t properly explain.

Luffy hanging off of their shipwright’s shoulders, clicking the various new buttons he upgraded his cyborg body with, eventually joined by Usopp and Chopper as they stared, awe-struck, at Franky.

Luffy, his arm hooked around their eerie musician’s own and prodding rudely at his visible joints and hinges as Brooke counted stars and constellations, listened idly. He complained about how bony and uncomfortable Brooke was and shifted about, but Luffy somehow persisted and listed against him regardless.

Robin often eased gentle stories into their excitable captain, allowing Luffy to find a comfortable position in front of and beneath her seat, between her calves with his back to her front. He’d been all tuckered out by her soothing voice after an energy-draining day, wrapping his arms around one of her legs while his eyes slipped closed and loud snores arose from his already-drooling mouth.

Seemingly out of thin air Robin gathered a light blanket and found its most important position upon her captain’s shoulders, quietly slipping away from his grasp with a gentle brush against his cheek and soft words to encourage sweet dreams.

Law wondered just how this mismatched, jagged crew somehow managed to synchronize with one another, adding together their lopsided faults and creating something of a whole, end product that resembled completion. He wondered, obsessively, how just the presence of Luffy and every bit of his smile, and personality made them all so soft around their bristling edges, so at ease and so willing to entrust him their own vulnerable, beating hearts.

To himself and only himself, Law wondered if one day he could touch that same pleasant softness himself and hold it, gently, without throttling like the death staining his fingers insisted. He wondered, if something so gentle could fill in the pieces of his soul that had been broken, shattered and lost, never to be found.

He wondered if that would make him whole again.

 

“Robin!” Luffy shouted suddenly, loudly stumbling into the room and staring at her with intent. It would have seemed serious if not for the petulant pout curling his lips, cheeks puffing out childishly. He didn’t even have to say anything further, or explain why he had burst into Law and Robin’s conversation without a care for whether they wanted privacy or not.

She smiled warmly in response, apparently understanding what he wanted already and without a more thorough explanation.

“Good!” Luffy decided, brows furrowing together. “Nakama aren’t allowed to steal other Nakama!”

“Understood, Captain,” she said in amusement, chin tucked neatly in her uncurled palm. “He’s all yours, Luffy.”

“Alright!” he cheered, pumping his fists into the air. “Then let’s go, Torao!”

He left without another word, apparently expecting Law, who remained silent throughout the whole odd exchange, to immediately follow suit.

“He doesn’t expect me to chase after him, does he?” Law questioned dryly after several beats of baffled silence, despite already silently knowing the answer. Their captain was truly unlike anyone else he’d ever met, and he was still struggling to find an even ground to stand on amid these rambunctious pirates Luffy claimed as his own.

Robin turned her head to face Law then, eyes twinkling and a coy smile against her mouth; it was an expression that made him uncomfortably off-kilter, tense over her astute perception.

“I think he has no doubt that you’ll follow him,” she said simply, “so he’s decided not to waste time waiting for you to catch up.”

She always seemed to catch him off guard in the most disarming of ways, and he’d be lying if he said she didn’t kind of intimidate him.

He sighed through his nose at her response and tugged his hat further over his eyes. Well, she was right anyway. Law, drawn by Luffy’s pull just as the rest of them had been, rose from his seat and wandered after their captain.

 

It really wasn’t anything odd to find oneself on the Strawhat’s ship at the most unsettling of times, considering how just about every moment with this crew Law deemed as jagged, random puzzle pieces smashed together into something that resembled ‘complete’. Their odd conglomeration was not anything particularly stunning, but instead beamed strangely with opposites attracting as well as opposing, with love and compassion toppling over any lopsided, worn piece that couldn’t quite make itself fit to make the picture whole.

And, unfortunately, Law happened to be of company when Luffy had the insatiable urge to either capture or ride a prehistoric-looking bird.

All Law had wanted was an accurate weather forecast on the seas to the west. All he came for was the Strawhat’s navigator’s expertise predictions of the waters they were to sail upon, considering the east-side villagers of their previous island whispered fearfully about a tsunami forming.

Indeed, they had a submarine, but a ship like that couldn’t quite go beneath a significant amount of water displacement in the endless ocean. Law came above sea-level to ask this serious question, to consider another route if this storm would eventually become ruthless, to formulate a plan that held his mates’ safety in high regard amid a possible force of nature.

Instead Law came to the surface (and imminently onto the Straw Hat’s ship) to the sight of their captain parading about on their cyborg shipwright’s shoulder, shouting obnoxiously and pointing aggressively toward the sky.

Law deposited himself in a way _he_ considered graceful, but instead only managed to unnerve the majority of people in the vicinity. He didn't think using _Room_ to swap his entire body with one of Brooke’s lengthy, skeletal arms was of any concern, honestly, considering all that they’d seen so far.

Brooke didn't seem discomforted at all, if only a bit surprised, so Law decided it was fine. The varying looks of horror across some of the Straw Hats didn't throw him off either; he didn't want to admit that it was due to his attention being almost immediately drawn to the ever-obnoxious and ever-loud captain.

Luffy, flopped over the grinning cyborg’s massive shoulder like a happy sack of potatoes, was too focused on his (objectively terrible) plan to notice Law right off the bat. Still caught up in the situation, Luffy’s eyes lit up like an idea had struck him explosively on his blind side, head whipping as whatever terrible plan he had bursted from his mouth.

“Franky! Franky throw me as high as you can! I want to ride that weird lizard bird!”

Zoro, eyes still closed from what anyone would assume to be a nap, nearly growled at the beginnings of a terrible plan, having experienced firsthand Luffy getting accidentally kidnapped last time he tried to catch a bird to eat. “Luffy,” he grunted simply, opening his un-scarred eye in irritation.

Luffy looked at him, seeming to grasp where Zoro's mind was at immediately from a simple sound he had made. It was kind of unnerving how well they could read each other.

He grinned, all teeth and gums. “Don’t worry, Zoro! I’m not going to try and eat this one!”

Or not.

Zoro sputtered, body jerking as he made to sit up straighter. “That’s not the problem--oi, Luffy!”

Luffy had already decided Zoro’s issue had been solved, so he continued pestering Franky to launch him sky-high and ride some kind of ancient bird. “It’s getting away--Franky, throw me!”

“Of course, Strawhat-bro!”

Law still couldn’t see how they all did it. Luffy was _insufferable._ He was incredibly selfish and persistent, and if he wanted to do something dangerous just for _fun_ despite his crew’s protests, he would do it. He wondered how they could deal with a captain so selfish, so loud and frustrating and gluttonous, so set on his goals that he wouldn’t care much for any obstacles in his way; he would knock them over and out, sooner or later.

Law could not see how they dealt with a captain so vehement on throwing his heart and soul away for someone he loved so thoroughly, how they dealt with his unabashed and untainted love toward them that came in the most dramatic forms of Luffy becoming a savior to them.

Law wondered what exact lengths this stupid, bumbling, idiotic captain had gone to, wondered how much of his bleeding heart he had shown and damaged to gain them--to gain their trust, their loyalty, their love, their unwavering devotion and confidence in making him the King of Pirates.

Luffy seemed eternally untouchable and unmatched in all that he was. Luffy was far out of his reach, and always would be.

Law pressed his palm over his eyes, attempting to tune out the absolute mayhem that came with Luffy clinging to the tail of a flying reptile and a crew trying to steer the ship to keep up with him. All he had wanted was some solid recommendation of possible incoming natural disasters or weather. He didn't ask for any of this.

When Law saw him next, Luffy was seated on the deck floor, legs sprawled in front of him as Nami furiously scolded him post-bird incident. Zoro didn’t look too pleased either, but decided arguing with Luffy was a lost cause (as it often was), and left after bonking him on the back of his head.

Nami insulted Zoro as he wandered off, deciding he should be more serious too and stop having such a soft spot for their captain. He responded with something like, “Captain’s orders,” and that was that.

Law glanced back at him when Luffy let out his happy laugh, not looking properly scolded despite the lump on his head from their navigator. His hair was windblown from his recent flight, looking unbelievably large and... _fluffy_ atop his head. Red had been stained against his smiling, dimpled cheeks, and his clothes were thoroughly ruffled from the wind.

Sensing Law’s stare, Luffy turned to face him, smile dimming just slightly. He cocked his head to the side, dark eyes still impossibly bright from the way the sun was basking him. Law jolted at being caught, and decided to leave before he got dragged any further into this drama, weather predictions be damned. He shook his head slightly and tilted his chin down, turning to leave the ship.

“Torao's going to come with me next time!”

Law froze, shifting back to face the other with a sharp frown. He was slow to respond, partially gobsmacked by the bold proclamation. “What--?”

“Then we can both race to the next island on our birds!”

“I’m not going to--!”

Luffy leapt to his feet, smile somehow shining even brighter and bigger than before as he bounded over to him. Law, temporarily blinded, didn’t stop Luffy as he got into his personal space without a second thought, grabbing Law’s hands in his own.

He decided that he couldn’t be blamed for getting caught up in Luffy’s storm: the press of his gaze threatening to bowl over his heart like the buffeting winds on a stormy sea, but the anchor of his hands around his own grounding him to the land; his genuine desire to incorporate and share with him in their fun, the excited tone to his chatter leaving a pleasant weight in his belly.

“You can’t decide something like that on your own,” he managed after getting a hold of the words Luffy managed to muffle in his throat. He didn’t pull away from Luffy’s firm grip in his palms, though.

“I already did!” he grinned, leaning even more into Law so that he almost had to catch the energetic boy. “You were too slow.”

“I guess we have a new babysitter, then,” Usopp sighed, and he discovered that he’d completely drowned out their presence in exchange for Luffy right in front of him. His cheeks felt slightly warm in embarrassment.

He turned and saw Nami grinning at him then, eyes slim and coy like a cat. “Keep an eye on our Luffy, Torao-kun. I’ll have to charge you if you try and bring him back to me.”

“Alright! Then it’s decided!” Luffy announced, completely nonplussed at basically being tossed around for someone to babysit so he didn’t do something too horribly stupid and detrimental. His palm was tucked tightly against Law’s, warm and firm as he made to drag him away.

“Nothing’s been decided!” he managed to argue before he was yanked along the deck. “Strawhat-ya--!”  
  
“I love being with Torao!” he announced with no shame, and Law almost tripped over his own two feet. “You’re kinda weird and quiet and your voice is really deep but once you get past that stuff you’re lots of fun!”

Something about Luffy made him speak up. “...How exactly am I fun?”

Luffy stopped suddenly, and Law almost bumped right into him. He decided it wasn’t worth it to halt his movement and kept trotting toward their destination, Law getting dragged along and for some reason not minding as much as he should have.

“Torao asks such silly questions!” He spun around and continued walking backward, rearranging their linked fingers. His grin was as bright and carefree as he expected, but it never failed to catch him off guard. “Torao is fun because he’s Torao!”

He didn’t know why he asked someone as simple-minded as Luffy a question like that, but somehow the answer satisfied him more than he expected. He pulled his hat down the slightest bit to hide his growing smile.

“Ah, I see.”

Luffy laughed, loudly and happily, more than satisfied with his new ‘babysitter’.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i 100% know i should have edited this better bc even rn i see mistakes i should change but!! it's been so long since an update so i'll fix things after this is posted bc i am lazy nd tired. the flow and pace of this can b improved for sure. sorry y'all but not rlly but also yes rlly
> 
> i also! dunno how they refer to each other ie does law call zoro roronoa or? I Don't Know and idk where to find references to dispute it so i refer from one char to another on instinct idk/r their actual speech pattern so i apologize. thank u for reading!!!


End file.
